Why it matters
AI Overviews now trigger on the bulk of AI-search and industrial concept queries, which means the answer — and its cited sources — is the first thing many buyers see. Appearing in that citation set is the new top of the funnel.
In practice
An industrial distributor competing on hydraulic fittings finds that comparison searches like 'Parker JIC fitting equivalent' can now trigger a Google AI Overview that summarizes the cross-reference and cites only two or three supplier pages. Brands with structured, crawlable cross-reference content (such as Brennan Industries' public Parker/Eaton/Aeroquip cross-reference tool) tend to be the ones quoted and linked, while distributors without comparable pages can drop out of that answer.
Source: brennaninc.com